Just about everyone knows what the PiYo workout program is in terms of using Yoga and Pilates combined. I would like to concentrate on the diet part of the program and try to help everyone understand just how important the PiYo diet is in making this program work for them.
It is often referred to as the” PiYo Get Lean Eating Plan” or, ”The Clean Eating Plan.” Both terms are talking about eating food that is as close to natural as possible. Meaning, avoid foods that are processed with a bunch of additives.
The 5 groups of food that you will be working with are primary vegetables, secondary veggie and grains, fruits, lean proteins and good fats.
Why do all the work on your body if you are not going to fuel it properly. You would be setting yourself up for failure. Your body needs the right kind of nutrients to carry out the exercise part of the program and succeed with your weight loss goal.
How to Get Started on The PiYo Diet
Hopefully, you have read through your pamphlet and are ready to figure out what group of instructions to follow for your food plan. To lose weight you need to burn more calories than you take in. It is quite simple to figure out what your calorie target will be.
It will be the amount of calories that you can take in and still lose weight while keeping your body fueled properly.
Say you weight in at 151 pounds. Multiply 151 by 11 =1661, now add 400 to that which is 2061, then subtract 600 and you have 1461 for your caloric target. You can round that up to 1500 calories a day which is easier to remember. Staying within 200 calorie a day of your caloric target is fine, don’t make it any harder than it has to be!
Words of encouragement. Don’t get overwhelmed after reading the booklet about plans and food and exercise and shopping and meal planning. You are investing your time in a “new you” and you’re worth every minute you spend learning how to eat clean. Two ideas to keep in mind during this eating program are: eat 5-6 meals a day and eat a carb with a protein.
If you have ever done any of the Beach body workouts, you know they offer eating plans with most of them and they all have a high success rate. They know what they are talking about and you can be the next successful customer.
Looking At The Food Plan
Now to choose the food plan. With our example above, our person needs to look at Plan B as it is for those with a caloric target of 1,400-1,599 calories. The chart will tell you how many servings of each of the designated 5 food groups to have each day.
The main foundation for this diet is green leafy vegetables along with other veggies which are fiber rich. The fruit you consume are also filled with fiber but are also rich in vitamins and minerals. When we think about protein we think about the building blocks for muscle. Healthy fats can be anything that provides a slow-digesting energy source.
Next let's look at the list of food that are in your food plan. The top food listed is always your best source of the group it is in. After checking with your meal plan you can decide what you want to eat as a fruit, primary vegetable or lean protein. It is just that easy to plan out your entire menu for the week.
Here is what your food list looks like. Take some time and become familiar with each group. You will be surprised at how easy you will remember them at the end of the first week. Let's plan some meals.
How To Set Up You Meals For Success
If you have ever done the 21 Day Fix, you know all about containers portion control. You can use those container if you still have them. Maybe with this new regime you also want new containers, whatever you decide, it is always so much easier to plan out your meals for 2 or 3 days.
This way you don't have to worry everyday about what you need to eat. You can create a chart on paper, use excel or word on your computer, whatever works for you.
After your first week you may want to change your menu to correspond with the type of workout you do that day. Maybe one day takes more of your energy so plan your diet accordingly. It could be that a certain form of protein sticks with you better than others so you will want that for a meal on a tough workout day.
Some Suggestions on What to Buy For The 5 Groups
Now we know that just about everyone cheats on a diet at some point, right? You will still be able to have sugar with your coffee or tea but please use Stevia, it is a more natural form of sweet and not a bunch of chemicals known to cause problems with the body.
Many people that try the PiYo also have a family so you need to have foods that they can eat also. Almost everyone likes salad so having lettuce, tomatoes carrots and cucumbers around is no problem. That covers your primary vegetables.
For secondary veggies try some pinto or black beans and maybe some almond milk.
Fruits to have on hand would be strawberries, grapes and of course bananas.
Looking at lean protein, we could use eggs, ground turkey, chicken breast or use a Shakeology which is a product by Beach Body.
Last are healthy fats and this will surprise you. It can be an avocado, hummus, whole nuts, almond oil and some cheeses.
I'm sure you can come up with some great combination of your own that will satisfy your graving. think about this diet as a new way of life, not just something you HAVE to do for a certain amount of time. Your goal is to get healthy and stay that way after all your hard work.
Last Thoughts
I hope I have helped you to understand a bit more about the PiYo diet and why it is such a big part of the entire program. Remember, you need to fuel your body properly so it can do the required workouts but still stay satisfied with it's caloric intake. To read our review on the PiYo workout click here. You can also get this in the Beach Body on demand workout where you can stream it to your tv and all of the other workouts beachbody offers.
Best of luck and don't settle for anything less than success!